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Inspired by Undergrounder i decided to have a crack at a driftwood style instant Bonsai . Using a collected tree stump and a Savin Juniper {Juniperus Sabina} that had no real appeal .

I have grooved the trunk out and inserted the Juniper into the channels as if it were naturally grown and jinned by nature . The entire exercise took about 2 hours .

I used a drill to groove and channel the trunk and a chisel to tidy up the drill holes .I then simply inserted the juniper into the groove using wire and rubber pads to secure the plant in position .The trunk of the Juniper was too small to use screws as it would have split .

Where the juniper trunk passes through the stump , i split the hardwood and grooved out a large section to allow for future growth , then secured with wire

INTERESTING TRUNK WITH NICE MOVEMENT

ORDINARY SAVIN JUNIPER LACKING APPEAL

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JUNIPER PLACED INTO STUMP

Last edited by alpinebonsart on Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:44 am, edited 2 times in total.

After the initial placement of the tree into the trunk which i had to split apart in order to accommodate the base of the Juniper . Repositioning the stump over the tree and securing it with wire i then set about anchoring the Juniper to the stump . I have used wire instead of screws to secure the juniper to the stump as splitting would occur due to the small diameter of the Juniper . Rubber pads were placed under the wire to prevent marking of the trunk .

At a later date the whole project will be secured with Stainless or Solid Brass screws and the wire removed . With the tree secure , wiring and trimming took place and and hey presto an aged Driftwood Style Savin Juniper . As Bonsai is only the Impression of age , this is a perfect example of what can be achieved with a little bit of Inspiration and a touch of Motivation . Cheers

Undergrounder wrote:Hey alpine that looks fantastic! is that how Masahiko Kimura does his bonsai? By carving driftwood and threading through branches? I've always wanted to know how he does it.

Hi Undergrounder , in downunder land we dont have the old Yamadori {wild material} that the Northern hemisphere has .They collect 50-500 year old wild material and trim /carve to shape .I simply collect young material and make it look older . A Bonsai doesn't have to be old it is the impression of age that is the key , it must also be pleasing to the eye , have good movement and be balanced .I have won First and Second prizes at local shows with trees that are trees not Bonsai , yet the Judges chose what i would call trainers over the true bonsai . Most people will buy a bonsai on its age, if you tell them its twenty years old they would buy it , if you tell them its a trainer and that it is 5 years old they think twice before purchasing . This paticular method can be used with many species , i have wrapped maple seedlings around old roots and made the same style . Over time they become part of the trunk or root used by strangling the host as a creeper does . You can twist several small trunks together once again over time they will veneer/ graft together to make single , twin and multi trunked trees . The pic in the middle where the stump is laying over is how the finished Bonsai will end up , i will veneer another juniper around and across the front to cover the large area that detracts from the plant .This will give a fuller more aged look to the entire Bonsai in question , however the foliage will only be at the very tip so a strip of bark {the trunk of the juniper} will appear in the middle of the host trunk . Cheers . P.S Its addictive

Progress on this Pheonix Graft has not been as expected , too heavy and not enough foliage so i split the driftwood and made another using 3 sister plants of the same batch . Most definately happy with the second trainers progression

Original trainer after it was split several months ago , the juniper has Not attached itself to the driftwood , so i will re-carve the wood and reattach the plant using stainless steel of solid brass screws

The other half ,much better using smaller plants and has progressed very well .All the plants are of the same parent stock so the could be re-assembled if necessary without differing foliage colouring .

Hi All , making good progress with trainers .I potted them into Bonsai pots and will allow another growth season before their initial first styling takes place

.No root pruning or trimming has taken place , number 2 has been removed from the driftwood and re-attached due to the fact that the older juniper didn't take off as anticipated and the drift wood was overpowering .A quick trim down in size and a replacement of the trunk into a better position .I did take a cutting off the old juni' 5-6 years ago and will use it to fill the viod on the wood and create a back branch between the first and second branch

Hi Waterlilly , dont know about patience more like too many plants .I put these in the green house along with hundreds of other trainers and just water / fertilize .Now the hard work starts check , trim , repot and all those tasks involved in progressing them to the next stage .Only 50 % will get some type of treatment this season the rest are going to grow on .Cheers and happy bonsai .Alpine

taffyman wrote:Alpine, are you intending to carve or shape the driftwood in this one? I think that if you did, it would enhance the tree even further.

Hi Taffyman ,the intention at this point in time is to phoenix graft the 6 year old cutting from this tree onto the back of the driftwood {pic 2} exiting between branch number 1-2 to give some depth in the structure . The bottom stub and the top fork have really nice movement and will be heavily caved to improve the taper from the mid section to the top .

The stubs are being used to hold , shape and veneer the apex and to assist in holding the veneering of both no 2 branches. These branches will be raised clear of the first stub after they laminate together , 1of the no 2 branches is pulling away from the trunk hence i have secured both of them to the stub rather than attempt to hold and secure with wire .

I may Pheonix graft the 1st branch into the wood and grow it out for another Jin as it appears like a real eye poker .With what i have learned i wouldn't use older juni's for this method again i would buy $3 nursery plants and use several on the 1 project . Growth wise ,trunk thickening , foliage and ease of movement and placemen is 2-3 times better .Cheers Alpine